# Schultz 2012: Cracking a German Secret Society's Centuries-Old Encrypted Code

> Colin Schultz, 2012. 6 records on Mysteries Department cite it. Journalism, cited for the Oculists' relation to Freemasonry and Önnerfors's view.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CYVFDG61JM7/cracking-a-german-secret-societys-centuries-old-encrypted  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[Copiale cipher](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/copiale-cipher)Schultz 2012

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# Cracking a German Secret Society's Centuries-Old Encrypted Code

Colin Schultz, 2012. _Smithsonian Magazine (Smart News)_.

Report of 19 November 2012, drawing on Noah Shachtman's Wired article, on the Oculists at Wolfenbüttel, the Masonic high-degree rituals described from page 27, and Önnerfors's reading of the cat-and-mouse insignia.

**Copiale cipher** Web pageChecked against the original0

## What it's used for here

Journalism, cited for the Oculists' relation to Freemasonry and Önnerfors's view.

## Cited by on this site 6 records

[The Oculists watched Freemasonry from inside, as rivals or informants, which the cat-and-mouse insignia hints…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/copiale-cipher/answers/ANS0CYVFQ8P1559/the-oculists-watched-freemasonry-from-inside-as-rivals-or)

Answer

ANS

[From page 27 the text describes rituals of the highest Masonic degrees.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/copiale-cipher/evidence/EVD0CYVFQ0W46J6/from-page-27-the-text-describes-rituals-of-the-highest)

Evidence

EVD

[Önnerfors read the insignia of cats watching mice as a joke or a sign of surveillance.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/copiale-cipher/evidence/EVD0CYVFQGG4CDN/onnerfors-read-the-insignia-of-cats-watching-mice-as-a-joke)

Evidence

EVD

[Andreas Önnerfors](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/copiale-cipher/people/FIG0CYVFFPG3F03/andreas-onnerfors)

FIG

[The Copiale cipher](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/copiale-cipher)

The mystery article

MYS

[What were the Oculists?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/copiale-cipher/questions/QST0CYVFJ4M6TJP/what-were-the-oculists)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
Schultz, C. (2012). Cracking a German Secret Society's Centuries-Old Encrypted Code. Smithsonian Magazine (Smart News). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cracking-a-german-secret-societys-centuries-old-encrypted-code-134867115/
```

[Read it free at smithsonianmag.com](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cracking-a-german-secret-societys-centuries-old-encrypted-code-134867115/)

Key

**SRC** 0CYVFDG61JM7

Kind

Web page

Rights

The publisher's

Kept

29 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published original

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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